Little Things

Our house is filling up with little things in anticipation of McKinley arriving in a month, give or take from today!!!!

Little tiny socks!!Little Tiny Shoes!Little clothes and hats!

A closet full of tiny things!The, oh so precious homemade quilts!
Our Sock Monkey theme!!

And one not so little gorilla!!! One of McKinley's first toys! Which Aslan loves...NOT!

Almost time

So I got one of the pregnancy books back from a friend with the main premise being "attachment parenting." I'm not so sure I necessarily agree with this form of parenting but it does have some helpful tidbits in it. I would rather go on instinct and spiritual guidance. I really only borrowed the book to see what I should pack and to read up on things I thought I'd made my mind up about, but have since changed.

We are at I think a month and a half to go and not even that if he comes early which I think he will. Wishful thinking maybe, I prefer to call it being optimistic! I'm excited about the upcoming showers and seeing all the new stuff. The same way I get excited about going through a box of hand-me-downs! I should have read this book ahead of time on buying clothes for baby. I went through the clothes we have and noticed we had very few 0-3 month and 3-6 month outfits so I told the church to put that on our list for the shower. Now that we find out our baby is already a big guy I'm thinking he won't be wearing them too long if at all. LOL! I'm not taking the tags off everything.

I am looking forward to a non-rainy day to get all of the nursery stuff in the house and set up. I at least want the nursery set up and everything put away before the time slips us by.
Our bedding has been picked out for some time, but then I go to Target and find a different one I really like and it's way cheaper. At least I know where I'll be going if we don't happen to get the bedding set I registered for. :)

I think I'm most excited to see Dwayne holding his little guy for the first time. Actually I'm excited about all the first times to come. We've had so many already. The first picture that showed only a peanut like shape which I found I did not like calling him peanut and we then went with "Cinnabun". The first movement and every one since then. :) Those I look forward to the most are seeing him for the first time taking that first breath of air. I look forward to looking into his eyes for the very first time and seeing them looking back! I know that babies only see so far and amazingly that length is from the normal breast feeding position. Another amazing detail from God. I look forward to comparing baby pictures from Dwayne and I and seeing what features McKinley has of both of us. Will he be a good combination of the two of us or will he look more like the other? I look forward to seeing the first grip of McKinley's tiny fingers wrapping around Dwayne's big fingers and pray even now I have a camera ready for that very moment. I am looking forward to so many things. I've laid awake a couple of nights wondering only to fall asleep knowing that God has a plan for McKinley and that whenever he comes, however he comes, God knows where he is going and crafted him to be just that way. *sighs happily* He's almost here.

I wonder if God has those exact same feelings when a new life is coming into the world or a lost sheep coming to Him? Their first breath of Him, the first time they see Him, the first time they grip His hand and let Him lead them down that walk? I think he has even more feeling than a mother for her child. His masterpieces, His creations, His imagination, His child. He planned out every detail of each one of us. He made us each unique. He's been patient with us. He is more forgiving that we could ever be. He loves us just the way we are. I am thankful He crafted me and continues to work on me. I am thankful He is creating in me another masterpiece and I look forward to seeing, holding, touching, kissing and cherishing this masterpiece as He does me.

Pearls of Wisdom??

I was putting off doing a blog post until Sunday, but decided to go ahead and blog now instead. Why, Sunday? some may ask. Well Sunday is October 4th and would be the 2 month until the due date marker. 2 months!! A part of me is in disbelief and another part of me is so excited and can't wait. I am nesting in my own sort of way. Not in the way I feel the house needs disinfected from top to bottom and so on. I've worked with kids long enough to know that too much disinfecting just breeds super bugs! I'm more the type who wants to paint every wall in my house. Luckily purchasing paint is not in the budget for every room in the house. I have sorted through baby clothes that have been so generously passed down over and over and cannot wait to put them in drawers and hang them on hangers.

I'm wishing I hadn't so absently passed on all of the pregnancy books. I guess it's normal to second guess yourself?? I really just want to get a heads up on a couple things. You know, skip to the back of the book or read the cliff notes. Hmmm...do they make cliff notes for pregnancy books?? I've gotten good advice or tidbits from mom's that I intend to follow through with. My sister-in-law said to always have two diaper bags fully packed and ready to go at all times. Another friend suggested an emergency tote to be placed in both cars full of extras that one doesn't always think of. Extra sippy cups/bottles, diapers, wipes, clothes for both child and parents, well anything one could think of that even when packed in the diaper bag I just might need more of. Now it's your turn to pass on your "Pearls of Wisdom." I look forward to reading them whether they be a polished shiny pearl or a dirty yet to be cleaned or tested pearl.

Slipping Away

A few weeks ago or my last post was all about having a peace about everything going on. Well, two weeks later and I'm still in that same spot. The peace seems to be slipping away. Looking outside right now and seeing the seasons change makes me realize everything slips away from time to time. Summer is gracefully slipping into Fall. The color of the leaves will not be of one color but will soon slip into an array of majestic beauty across the mountain. My time of pregnancy is slipping away. One little calculator I get weekly stated only 84 days left on Friday. Of course, an older woman at church reminded me it was an approximation. :) Gotta love the wisdom of the older experienced mothers. I have a feeling and have had this feeling since I first found out and estimated the arrival date that he will be born at the end of November and not early December. Only God really knows! My time however is shortening on a daily basis and I am going to enjoy every single movement and discomfort that comes along with carrying a baby. As peace, time and seasons slip away, I am filled with hope. Hope that a new peace will enter in, time will slip away but there is always more of it coming, and the seasons will continue running their cycle. Slipping away isn't a bad thing after all.

God's got it under control!!

Well last week I posted the video to James Fortune's, "I Trust You." If you didn't watch it, stop right now and scroll down and watch and listen to it. I used to switch channels when that song would come on and watch a country music video but last week was different. I was pulled into the song every time it came on. I listened to that song every day. Come Friday I found out why I had been listening to the song. I returned home from work and a trip to the fair to find an email letting me go from my job. It's a long story, but not unexpected. I was not stressed, I was not worried, I was oddly at peace. This wasn't just any peace this was definitly a peace that passes all understanding. God had prepared me all week for that news. Unfortunately, He hadn't prepared Dwayne for the same news or if He had Dwayne missed it. Ever since last week when I watched that video and especially this week I have been floating if you will on a cloud of peace and calmness. I have been able to do some much needed things around the house and the best part of it all I've been able to bake and cook for my own home!! The weather changed over to Fall like weather which is one of my favorite seasons of the year and we are headed to TN this weekend for some over due time with family! If I could bottle these past few days up, I would and open the lid oh so slightly to get a bit of this peace when peace is the last thing I see on the horizon. I will cherish every minute of this newfound peace and thank God for having things under control. He knows what His plans are for me and I really don't have a clue as to what they might be, but it's ok. He has my best interests at heart. Oh how blessed I am to have a God who loves me so!! Floats away on her cloud of peace!

Touched by the Music

Every morning I get to watch Joyful Noise Cafe which is christian music videos. This first video stops me from doing whatever and draws me in. I am moved and touched and so many other things by the words of this song. The Holy Spirit just moves through me and fills me with hope. This song should be my daily prayer, no my hourly prayer, no make that my minute by minute prayer. James Fortune and FIYA singing "I Trust You."



Shortly after this song came a song that really hit me. Yesterday I was reading through 1 Corinthians 13. I highly recommend this become a commited to heart scripture which I am attempting to do. These verses speak of God's love and a love we should try and mirror. Sadly our reflection is poor and I hope my reflection clears up in the relationships I have. Today this video came on and well it's just fitting. Kevin Levar singing "A Heart That Forgives."

Just a thought on pregnancy

Not this past Wednesday but the Wednesday before was the first time I had felt the baby kick or move. I was so excited and wanted to treasure the moment for a bit by myself. When Dwayne went to feel McKinley had stopped, but the other day he kicked good and hard for Dwayne. I love the feeling of a little one growing inside me. This feeling is unexplainable really, one you have to experience and I pray one day you will and if you have remember back when you felt that first kick. I know for me it was and is amazing every time I feel him. Two biblical mother's came to mind in Wednesday night and their first experience with this same thing.

Luke 1:39-45
"At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord shall come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished."


Now this is Elizabeth's baby John who we see leaps for joy and her experience with feeling him first. Think about Mary now and how she felt the first time Jesus kicked inside her. I thought my feeling it was an awe moment. I get email updates each Friday of the development of the baby during whatever week it is. The whole conceiving of a baby is an awe moment. One of those miracles that only God can pull off. No amount of science could convince me that it is all scientific. It is truly a God thing. Only he could come up with the intricate process of conception and development. Each week something new is developed another part of the painting completed by the Master Artist's hand. He knows McKinley more than I will ever know him. His hands are already molding him.

Jeremiah 1:5 " Before I formed you in your mother's womb I knew *chose* you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

God you know my son even now. I pray with a mother's heart that you will instill in him now a love so strong for you that it outweighs the love he will have for me, his father, his future wife and his future children.